Bound by a Similar Destiny
by Daiken Love
Summary: Twenty-five years ago, twelve chosen children rose up against an ultimate evil to bring peace to two worlds. When the peace is once again shattered after all this time, the next generation of DigiDestined must rise to defend the two worlds with everything they have.
1. Prologue

_Hey everyone! Okay, so this Prologue is sort of a rehash of the epilogue of 02. I will eventually write an epilogue-compliant story but this isn't it. This is written for the Novel with Prompts Challenge. It uses the prompt 'mundane'. I would like to dedicate this story to_ _ **Tomoe Mami, Broken Angel01**_ _and_ _ **Miss Anonymous hp**_ _because they are my precious friends and the latter two are my inspiration. Of course it is in T.K.'s point of view. Thanks to_ _ **Zero Slash One**_ _for betareading this chapter._

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Twenty-five years had gone by since the day we defeated MaloMyotismon and that peace had been restored. Twelve years had gone by since we split from our partners and returned to our normal lives. It was almost as if the digital world had never even been a part of us. None of us knew what to think or why the gates had suddenly been locked on us after all we had been through. Our D-3s had stopped responding completely, their screens turning into digital static. It was as if the digital world had suddenly thrown us out, not needing us anymore now that our task of protecting both worlds had been complete. It seems so unfair. Who are they to decide to suddenly snatch us away from our beloved partners?

Don't get me wrong. I'm glad our responsibility as DigiDestined has finally come to an end. But at the same time, I miss Patamon. Things just aren't the same without him, no matter how busy we've become as adults. Having our own families and raising our own children has definitely kept us busy from dwelling on it too much but there is an empty hole there. None of us mention the feeling to one another, but I know we all feel the same way.

Things have changed a lot in all this time though. I've become a novelist and write about our adventures in the digital world. Of course, to make it a bit more anonymous I have changed the names in the book series I'm writing as for the characters to not have a link to us, other than the personalities. Our children have never even suspected that we may have some link to the digital world. They see it as a fantasy and for their sakes, it's better that they do.

Kari has become a kindergarten teacher and is absolutely amazing with little kids. In fact, it was as if she were born for the job. The kids love her and whenever any child has a problem, Kari is the person to turn to. Tai has become a firefighter, which was surprising at first, but not so surprising considering how his personality is. I think it reminds him of the lives we've saved in the digital world. He always has been the bravest of us after all and saving lives seems to come naturally to him. Speaking of saving lives, Tai isn't the only one whose taken on a profession where he saves people's lives.

Joe has finally managed to become a doctor and is always helping to save people's lives. His dream has finally come true and he is one of the most successful doctors in all of Japan. It certainly is handy for us to have a doctor as a friend. Joe may have not been as courageous as Tai but to be honest, I can't imagine anyone else coming to our aid when we were injured. After all, it was him and Mimi the ones who had aided an injured Ogremon in the first adventure, wasn't it?

Mimi on the other hand has become a fashion designer and makes the most amazing clothes. She hasn't changed all that much. Izzy has become a computer engineer, which was pretty obvious to all of us. Thanks to his computer (no matter how much Tai complained about it), they had gotten out of a lot of jams.

My brother Matt has become a solo artist. It wasn't that he didn't love the band and all, but he decided it simply wasn't his thing because he never has been as social as say, Tai. He didn't like all the attention he received and became uncomfortable with the crowds he was forced to hang around in due to the expectations that was given by the society. No matter how much support he has from us, it makes him uncomfortable and so he decided to remain in music in a way where he could do the work on his own.

Sora has become a professional chef and caters food for parties and functions everywhere. Between her and Davis, we get plenty of free food and so do our families. Speaking of Davis, he owns a noodle-cart business, which is popular internationally and is very successful. He makes amazing noodles and sure surprised us with what his dream turned out to be.

Ken has become a police officer. I have to admit, I didn't expect that at first but I think the job really suits him. Everyday Ken continues to work to make amends for the mistakes he made in the past. We've all forgiven him for the things he did as the Digimon Emperor but it is clear that he hasn't forgiven himself for the things he did and this is just one of the ways he feels he can recover from his mistakes.

Cody has become a lawyer so he and Ken do end up working together on a fair few occasions, due to the nature of their work. I think Cody being a lawyer was something all of us expected considering how firm he is in beliefs of justice. He is an excellent one too and even though cases can end up tricky, he does his best to ensure there is no injustice done from his part.

Yolei has become a counselor. It seems odd doesn't it? But she is actually quite amazing at her job. Well, they do say to understand other people's problems you need sincerity to give them an honest opinion and you need to care about them, which is a type of love in itself. And being the holder of the DigiEgg of Love and Sincerity, Yolei has proven to be one of the most successful psychologists in all of Japan. In fact, she's become so successful that if one of us is having problems, she'll go out of her way to be there for us every step of the way.

So all of us have moved forward in our lives. We've come a long way and our bonds have only grown stronger in time. One thing is for sure though, no matter how many years pass or how long it takes, we will never forget the Digital World. Even if we aren't needed anymore, I won't forget all it's done for us.

It brought Matt and I closer together once more and gave me the most amazing sister-in-law of both worlds. It gave me the Light of my life who I can never live without. It gave me friends that will last forever. It gave me you Patamon. And I'll never forget the bond we shared no matter how old I get and I hope one day we can meet again. Something tells me will. There's no way we could lose one another forever, even if right now it seems like that.

Because that hope is the one thing I learnt from you, from the Digital World and all my friends. Hope. They taught me to believe even when it seemed like everything was over. Our adventures seemed to have finally reached an end, because things are so peaceful but who knows what the future may bring?


	2. Ep 1: An Unwanted Call

A/N: Hello everyone. Thank you for all the supportive reviews as they mean so much to me. This first chapter uses the prompt 'quarrelsome'. I do not own Digimon. Although I wish I did. Thanks to the amazing **Zero Slash One** for betareading this chapter! Anyhow…I hope you enjoy!

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 **1\. An Unwanted Call**

The local scene was the lunch area of a school somewhere in Tokyo. Not too packed with students, really: Barely more than two per table, and some tables lacked even those to keep them company. Rather regrettable for the tables.

It was a rather quiet place, save for two boys currently in a scuffle about a book of some manner, which rather made it rather less quiet.

"TAY! GIVE MY BOOK BACK!" Sam Motomiya's voice echoed through the lunch area as the two boys ran all over the place.

"Nuh-uh, you're going to have to catch me first!" Taysuke Kamiya replied, sticking his tongue out at the other indigo-haired boy but before he could run any further, two girls who were looking at him, hands on their hips blocked his way.

"Tay," Ai Ishida said, her tone of voice disapproving as she looked down upon her male best friend. She leveled Taysuke with her famous Ishida glare, which he guessed she had learnt from her father. Aunt Sora was not that intimidating.

"Honestly, Tay, you should know better," Hana murmured to her friend, her face appeared to be fighting down a smile. The girl's eyes regarded the two boys' scuffle with light amusement. Hana Kido, the daughter of Joe and Mimi Kido was a relative bubbly yet easygoing person. She knew how to have fun and was really easy to get along with.

Sam huffed, storming over and yanking his book away from Taysuke. "If he knew better, we wouldn't be having all these problems." Sam Motomiya, the younger son of Davis and Ken Motomiya seemed to take his studies very seriously, which was the opposite of what Taysuke did.

"Oi you take that back Motomiya!" Taysuke snapped, glowering, his fist shaking. Honestly, he is so annoying! I don't know why Ai keeps trying to make us get along!

"Enough, you two," Ai said sternly. "Tay, you're two years older than Sam, behave yourself."

"You expect them to behave themselves?" Katsu Izumi's voice came from behind Ai. He had run a little late today due to sleeping late last night. The son of Izzy and Yolei Izumi was probably the smartest the group had and whilst he wasn't as easygoing as Hana, he tried to usually help Ai in stopping the fights.

Taysuke huffed. "Why do you guys always think I'm the one who starts the fights? Motomiya is just as equally responsible!"

"You're the one who stole his book," Ai replied simply, a small sigh leaving her mouth. "Now grow up, the both of you."

"Really, how likely do you think that is?" Daiki 'Dai' Motomiya's voice cut through and Taysuke turned to see Dai standing there with the twins Mickey and Matty Takaishi.

Mickey rolled his eyes and went to Sam's side. "It's alright, Sam. You know how Tay is."

Sam sighed. "A little too well, actually."

"Hey!" Taysuke protested. Being the son of Tai and Momoe Kamiya, he had a mix of his father's hotheaded and his mother's natural intelligence in school work. He had bushy brown hair and wore his father's old goggles over his head. "I resent that."

"Resent it later, man," Matty said patting Taysuke's back sympathetically. "We're going to get late for class and you know teachers are always looking for an excuse to give us detention."

Dai made a face. "No kidding! Honestly, school hates me."

Sam laughed. "That's cause you spend time around Taysuke, Dai. You're bound to get in trouble." He seemed to send a concerned look at his older brother for some reason.

Dai rolled his eyes at his little brother while Taysuke glowered at Sam radiating displeasure, but the indigo-haired boy simply stared back at him coolly. Before another fight could erupt however, Ai pushed herself between both boys.

"Enough!" Ai chided them both. "Come on, Matty's right, we need to get to class." She grasped both Taysuke and Sam's hands in her own. "Please?"

Taysuke felt himself flush a little when Ai grabbed his hand and simply nodded, his anger disappearing. "Yeah, of course, we better get going."

Sam nodded, although sent a suspicious glance at Taysuke, but didn't say anything. "Yeah, I better head to class as well."

As Sam hurried away to his class away, Ai quickly pulled her hand away, her cheeks turning slightly pink causing Taysuke to blink.

"Ai, are you ok?" Taysuke asked, looking a little confused. "You're all pink."

"You idiot!" Ai chided, her pink cheeks turning red. "You're just imagining things! Oh forget it, come on let's go to class!" She stormed off in a huff leaving Taysuke looking bewildered at Dai and Matty.

"What'd I say?" Taysuke asked clearly befuddled about the situation.

Mickey sighed. "Honestly, Tay, you know Ai doesn't like that much attention on her. Uncle Matt was the same." He bit his lower lip before hurrying after Ai to class.

* * *

It didn't take long for Mickey to catch up with his cousin and considering they still had some time before class, he went up to her, squeezing her shoulder. "Don't worry about him, he's clueless."

Ai sighed a little. "I know that, it's just he notices I'm embarrassed but never thinks about why."

A cheeky smile came to Mickey's face.

"Well," Mickey said, making his most innocent face. "It's Tay. He doesn't think much about anything."

Ai giggled. "That sounds like something Matty might say, not you."

Mickey smiled. "Well, it got a laugh out of you, didn't it?" He wrapped an arm around Ai's shoulders, pulling her into a hug. "I don't like seeing you get down about Tay's cluelessness."

Ai buried her head in Mickey's shoulder. "Thanks Mickey. I'm so lucky having a cousin like you."

Mickey turned pink at that, now hiding his face in Ai's shoulder at the compliment. "I-it's nothing…" He knew Ai and the others always thought rather high of him but it was still a little embarrassing.

Ai managed to hold back a laugh, even though from what Mickey could see of her face, her lips were twitching as she patted his head. "There, there."

Mickey pouted at her, looking childlike. "Don't like it…"

Ai did laugh now. "I'm sorry, Mickey but your inability to take a compliment and shy away from them is rather amusing."

"It is, isn't it?" Matty said as he and the others came through causing Mickey to pull away from Ai.

Taysuke seemed to send a glare at Mickey causing the older twin to frown at his friend but didn't say anything.

Mickey was a little puzzled at Taysuke's sudden change in demeanor towards him. Certainly, he wasn't Taysuke's partner in crime when it came to pranks, but Mickey did like to think of Taysuke as a rather good friend of his as well. He caught Matty trying not to laugh and it dawned on him. _Oh really…honestly! Taysuke really was a gogglehead…what was he going to do with him?_

As Mrs. Hitami entered the class, they all settled into their seats. Mickey could not help but roll his eyes seeing Taysuke doodling on his notebook and knew the gogglehead wasn't paying attention. He sent a stern look at his twin so he would pay attention and Matty sent a sheepish smile back in his direction.

"No! Let me go! Dammit, let me go!"

Mickey jumped in alarm as Dai's desperate voice seem to cut through their teacher's one and turned to look at his friend. His heart gave a jolt, his eyes widening as he saw Dai's form beginning to flicker as if it weren't really there. What was going on? Upon closer examination, Mickey realised his friend looked pale as if he hadn't slept in days. Why hadn't anyone of them noticed this earlier? _This must be why Sam looked concerned about him._

"Oi Dai!" Taysuke yelled. "Snap out of it."

Dai's flickering form seemed to become solid again as he stared at Taysuke. "Tay?"

"Yeah, dude, what happened, you totally..." Taysuke began to say but Mrs. Hitami cut him off.

"Daiki, are you alright?" Mrs. Hitami asked concerned. "Would you like to see the nurse?"

Dai was about to reply then but he cringed in pain. Mickey hurried over to catch him as he swayed slightly. He could feel the whole class's eyes drawn towards him and Dai.

"Mrs. Hitami, could I take him to a nurse?" Mickey said, concerned for his friend. "Ai, could you take notes for me?"

Ai nodded. "Of course." Her voice shook a little but steadied quickly enough as she managed a smile.

Mrs. Hitami smiled. "Of course. Go ahead and take Daiki to see the nurse."

Mickey nodded, leading Dai out of the classroom. As soon as they were out of earshot of the other students, the older Takaishi twin frowned. "Dai, what was happening to you? It was…" He wasn't really sure how to explain it. Usually he was fine with words, but what had happened was so strange that he really didn't know how to describe it.

"Like I was disappearing right?" Dai said quietly. His voice sounded so tired that it made Mickey even more concerned than he already was. He hadn't shown this in the morning but he guessed that was because of Sam. Dai tried not to show any weakness and always kept a smile on his face when Sam was around.

Mickey bit his lower lip. "Yeah, what's going on, Dai? You know you can tell me anything." They had been friends since they were practically babies, after all and to see Dai like this was rather alarming.

Dai shifted. "You'll think I'm crazy."

Mickey smiled. "You know me better than that." He wrapped an arm around Dai, pulling him close. "I won't judge, promise."

Dai lowered his gaze, not looking at Mickey as he spoke. "I've been having odd dreams every night. I'm at this strange looking ocean, and everything is black there. The trees, the grass, everything. And then there's this weird looking man, but he doesn't really look like a man."

Mickey blinked. "What do you mean he doesn't look like a man?" The story was rather odd but it felt strangely familiar as if he had heard of this ocean before. In a novel or something, but he could not be sure.

 _Now is not the time to think about the stories you read, Mickey!_ He chided himself, bringing his attention back to focus on Dai.

"I mean, he was wearing a red cloak as well as red and black clothes, and his face was covered," Dai explained. "So you could only see his eyes and well…I dunno, he didn't look human." His cheeks turned pink and looked away. "I know it sounds stupid but I'm really not making up stories."

Mickey smiled, pulling Dai into an embrace and squeezing his shoulder. "I know. I believe you. Actually…" He wondered if he should share with Dai that the place he referred to sounded very familiar as odd as that sounded.

Dai blinked at him. "What?"

Mickey smiled, shaking his head. "Nothing, I just think I've been reading too many stories lately." He suddenly thought of something. "You know, shouldn't we at least pretend to be walking to the sick bay?"

Dai's eyes widened. "You're right! We should. Blimey, we better start walking!" He pulled away from Mickey, before grabbing his hand to tug him faster.

Mickey laughed a little, following. "That doesn't mean we can't talk while moving though so go ahead and continue."

Dai frowned. "There isn't much more though. Just that cloaked guy leering at me. He's the one who must be calling me there. Back now, in class, I saw him again."

Mickey thought about this. He didn't think he was as smart as Katsu to think about why this was happening but at the same time, he wanted to help his friend somehow. "Why don't we talk to Katsu about it?"

Dai stared at Mickey as if he had grown another two heads. "Are you kidding? Katsu will stare at me as if I've been playing too many video games again!"

Mickey let out a noise of amusement. "I just meant cause he is a lot smarter than me."

Dai rolled his eyes. "I think I'm fine, Mickey. I think I should just get a bit of rest in the sick bay ok? You go on to class." With a wave, he hurried off to the sick bay, which wasn't too far now.

Mickey watched Dai's retreating back with concern. Dai hadn't wanted him to discuss this with the others, but the other really needed sleep.

 _Maybe I should talk to Sam about this, the two are brothers so…but Dai would never want Sam to know._

Wait a minute! Maybe he couldn't tell Sam about Dai's dreams but he could tell him that Dai was having trouble sleeping and to somehow help him with that. There were nerve-soothing tablets out there, after all and Uncle Joe could definitely get them for him, without anyone else having to know.

 _Okay, I'm going to talk to Sam in our break._


	3. Ep 2: Pieces Coming Together

Hey guys! Thanks a lot for all the support you've given me so far. It means a lot that you like my characters and Aiko, thank you for the suggestions. This uses the prompt 'smiling'. Thank you so much to **Angel's Sins** for betareading the chapter! You are awesome!

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 **2\. Pieces Coming Together**

 _Osamu 'Sam' Motomiya_

It wasn't like Mickey to pull Sam away from the others during a lunch break so he wondered what the big deal was. The Takaishi boy seemed rather nervous and kept on looking around as if hoping to spot something. Odd, what could be wrong?

"Mickey, are you alright?" he asked softly.

Mickey blinked and gave a small smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Y-Yeah I'm fine. I just…I wanted to talk to you about Dai."

Now, the younger Motomiya brother could not help but stare at his friend. Had Mickey noticed Dai's fake cheerfulness as well?

"You noticed it too, didn't you, Mickey?" Sam said quietly.

Mickey seemed to frown at him and Sam noticed the other's face seemed to pale. He licked his lips and stuffed his hands inside his pockets. He looked anywhere but Sam. Wondering what could possibly be the issue, Sam placed a hand on the older boy's shoulder.

"Mickey, what is it? Is Dai okay?"

Somehow, Mickey's silence made an uncomfortable pit form in Sam's stomach. What was going on? Why was Mickey so quiet? He knew the other tended to worry a lot about his friends but this seemed…different somehow.

"Dai… He's been having trouble sleeping," Mickey finally spoke up, still refusing to meet Sam's gaze. "I was wondering if you could, you know, get him to take nerve-soothing tablets or something."

Sam stared at Mickey. That was all it was? Somehow, he didn't think so. Not that he thought Mickey would ever lie to him about anything—the boy was much too honest for his own good—but he did feel that the other was hiding something.

 _That must be why he refuses to look at me…_

"Mickey," Sam said. "I don't mind getting the tablets for Dai but what's going on? You're hiding something from me, aren't you?"

"No, why would I hide something?" Mickey said. His gaze wavered though.

 _Honestly, you couldn't be more obvious, Mickey. I've known you since we were in cribs…_

Sam sighed. "Look, Mickey, I've been worried about Dai. I know he tries hard to stay happy for me, but I noticed he hasn't been himself. That and he really isn't sleeping well lately. Has he told you anything?"

There was silence and Sam watched Mickey's cheeks redden and look down. The older Takaishi twin still seemed hesitant to say anything and Sam had to wonder if Dai had made him promise not to say anything.

"Mickey," Sam said, "did Dai ask you not to tell me about it?"

Mickey nodded and spoke miserably, "I want to tell you, Sam, I really do but if I tell you, I know you won't be able to stop yourself from talking to Dai."

That sent a shiver down Sam's spine. Was his older brother being hurt or something? He wanted to know but, at the same time, he didn't want Mickey to break his promise. If Dai was sharing his problems with Mickey, then he didn't want that trust to be damaged.

"Mickey?" Sam said, causing the other to look at him. "You promised Dai you'd keep his secret, right? But promise me something, too. Don't…don't let Dai get himself hurt." He wasn't going to force Mickey to tell him. He wanted to know but knowing that Mickey knew and was trying to help his brother was reassuring.

To him, Mickey was genuinely one of the kindest people ever and he knew he could probably help him better than Sam himself could.

Mickey smiled at that and pulled Sam into a hug. "Of course, Sam. You know I'll never let Dai be alone through anything."

Sam let his head fall on Mickey's shoulder. "Thank you." He knew it wasn't needed but he felt he didn't thank the older boy as much as he should. In fact, none of them did and he felt sometimes they needed to do it a bit more. He felt the other squeeze him and could almost feel him smiling. He still remembered the time Mickey had gone Taysuke out of the detention and didn't even get a simple thank you.

"I'm always here for you," Mickey murmured. "And for Dai."

 _Like you need to say that…_

The truth was, if Sam didn't have Mickey and his other friends, he didn't know what he would do. It wasn't easy having two dads and sometimes, he still resented his parents for that.

"Don't start thinking about that again," Mickey chided, almost as if reading his mind.

Sam looked up and stared at his friend. "How…what?" Sam said, befuddled.

Mickey laughed. "You can be obvious sometimes, Sam. Your dads love each other a lot and they love you and Dai. My parents have always supported them and, heck, you know Aunt Jun supports them. It doesn't matter what the world thinks."

Sam wanted to believe but that didn't stop the name-calling. Dai may be more popular than he was but he still got odd looks from some of the students. Of course, Taysuke tended to tell anyone who gave that sort of look to Dai off but Tay hated Sam. There was no way he'd ever defend him like he defended Dai.

"I'll try, Mickey," Sam said quietly. "Right now, I'm more worried about Sam than anything else anyway so I'll focus on him for the moment."

Mickey smiled, although Sam could see the sadness flicker in his eyes. "Well, at the very least I'm sure glad you can prioritise." He squeezed the other once more before pulling away. "Just remember one thing, Sam. Uncle Davis, Uncle Ken, and Dai are all your family. You can't leave them behind no matter what. They're more important than what some students say about you."

Sam's eyes watered a little and he buried his head in the other's shoulder. It didn't matter and he knew he never wanted to make his dads feel like his feelings were creating a wedge between the two of them.

* * *

 _Noburu 'Nobu' Hida_

Sometimes, Nobu hated being so shy. Usually his family and friends loved his shyness and Taysuke always said he was the cutest little brother ever, but whenever he came to school, he felt really lonely, even when Hika was there. Hika's friends didn't like him too much and there was only so much that Hika could do.

"Oi, Nobu, stop thinking silly stuff!" Hika's loud voice caused Nobu to jump and stare. What was _she_ doing here? He had left her and her friends because it was causing fights with them and he didn't want Hika to end up lonely like him.

" _Stop it, Hika. You don't need him"_

He had to admit it had stung when Mika had said that, but his friend's angry retort did make things a bit better.

" _He's my friend. I won't leave him."_

Nobu flushed when he realized he was staring at his friend. "Um, what are you doing here? Your friend Mika…"

Hika huffed. "Honestly, Nobu, you're so silly! I don't care if Mika and my friends don't like you! If they don't, they can just go play with each other." She grasped Nobu's hand. "'Cause Nobu is my best friend."

Nobu blushed even more and even squirmed. He hated it, he hated taking Hika away from her friends; and what was worse was that she didn't mind doing it. "Hika, don't…"

Hika pouted at him. "Oh, hush, you, I'm going to stay here and that's all." She placed one hand on her hip. "Don't make me tickle you. Come on, play with me!" She tugged at his hand.

 _Hika…_

Nobu smiled shyly and hugged Hika. "Thanks, Hika." She really was the best friend he could ever have. When she was with him, he didn't feel as lonely as he always did and that was the best feeling ever.

"You're smiling!" Hika said, happily hugging him back. "Mickey and Matty always say you don't smile enough. You should smile more, okay? Aki likes it when you smile, too! He told me that!"

Nobu laughed a little as Hika mentioned her cousin, Aki. The other boy was fun to be around but he could be a little mischievous sometimes. He really did read too much. What eight year old knew a word such as mischievous? He couldn't help it though. Mickey read a lot of interesting stories that he couldn't help wanting to know more about the type of stuff the boy read.

Mickey made him feel like he didn't need a big brother because he was always there to talk to. He just wished his classmates didn't always push him away. Hika always said it was because he never stood up for himself but he hated fighting. He didn't want to hurt anyone, no matter how much anyone hurt him. Besides, Mickey was the same way and everyone liked him…right?

"Hika?" Nobu mumbled. "Why don't your friends like me?" He realized he was still holding her.

Hika frowned. "I dunno but Mika is stupid sometimes! She fights with me too when I don't agree with her. I think her Mama doesn't tell her to be nice."

"Oh, really?" Nobu said.

Hika nodded. "But she listens when I throw water balloons at her! You just need to be strong with her 'cause everyone listens to Mika and my friends. It's silly."

Nobu rolled his eyes. "Hika, you think everything is silly."

Hika pouted. "I don't think you're silly."

Nobu turned pink again. "Hika…" _Honestly, how does she always say these things with a straight face? She's gonna make me faint someday._

Hika giggled and made a cute face. "Yes?"

Nobu sighed, shaking his head. "Never mind, let's go play."

Hika cheered, running ahead, and Nobu smiled, shaking his head once more. However, it was fond, not annoyed. He felt a bit lighter as he followed his friend. There are some things he can look up to.

* * *

 _Taysuke 'Tay' Kamiya_

Somehow he had gotten caught pranking again and landed himself in detention. Grumbling to himself, Tay blamed Dai and Matty. Dai seemed so spaced out lately and Matty—Well, he was too busy worrying about what Mickey and Sam were talking about. Honestly, what was wrong with his friends? It was like every one of them had gone on the high end.

' _You're such an idiot, Tay! Don't talk about your friends like that!'_ He could hear Ai scolding him and see her glowering at him with her hands on her hips. That made him cringe, and he looked around wearily as if she could pop out of nowhere. He had been walking out of the classroom and decided to head home when he saw activity in the computer lab. A buzzing sound was coming from the screen and he could see the light of the computer coming outside.

 _That's weird. Everyone should have gone home by now. It's probably just some older students… But it's so dark…_

Unable to help but wonder what was happening, Tay went inside the computer lab and realized there was only one computer on that was beeping and flashing.

 _What the heck? Did someone leave it on?_

Maybe it was an accident. Taysuke should just turn off the computer and go home. It was the best thing to do, right? He reached to touch the mouse to shut down the computer but it flashed an even brighter light. He quickly shielded his own eyes. Once the light seemed to fade away, a message in big bold letters began to write itself on the screen.

DARKNESS HAS FALLEN AND NO RAY OF LIGHT CAN BE SEEN. THE HOLY DEVICE MUST OPEN THE GATES THAT WERE SEALED ONCE MORE. NEW HEROES WILL COME TO DEFEND WHAT IS LEFT OF A BROKEN PEACE. NEW DIGIDESTINED, THIS IS OUR LAST ATTEMPT. PLEASE READ THIS MESSAGE AND ALLOW US TO BRING YOU HERE.

Taysuke stared. What the hell? Was this some kind of joke? Maybe this was why Matty and Dai had not supported him in the last prank, because they were planning this against him. He glowered at all four corners of the room, as if expecting the two boys to jump out at him.

"Matty, Dai, this isn't funny!" Taysuke said, crossing his arms. "You're not scaring anyone! Come out already!" He clenched a fist. Honestly, if it were those two, he would never let them hear the end of it! Matty was meant to be his cousin and best friend for god's sake, his partner in crime, not playing pranks on _him_! However, neither of them was coming out. Frowning at the screen, he decided to back away, turn around, and run away.

 _I am so going to tell those two off tomorrow! How could they play such a stupid trick on me? And I can't believe I actually almost fell for that!_


	4. Ep 3: The Call of Destiny

_Hello, everyone. Thank you for all the feedback you've given me, be it positive or negative. It isn't easy writing a Next Generation fanfic but it is fun. The prompt used for this chapter is 'utter'. Thank you to_ _ **Angel's Sins**_ _for betareading this chapter/episode!_

* * *

 **3\. The Call of Destiny**

 _Daiki 'Dai' Motomiya_

"Tay, would you stop?" Dai grimaced as his best friend dragged him and Matty into the computer room after school. Mickey, Ai, Hana, and Katsu followed along with Sam, but Dai saw his little brother roll his eyes. His own lips quirked in amusement at the fact that Sam and Tay really did _not_ see eye to eye.

"I'll stop after you two apologise!" Taysuke snapped, almost looking hurt. "I can't believe you'd play a prank like that on me!"

Nobu flinched at Tay's volume and Dai stared at his best friend. Mickey pulled Nobu close, humming in his ear to soothe him.

"Tay, we didn't play any prank," Matty said, puzzled.

"And we play pranks _with_ each other, not _on_ each other," Dai added. He didn't know what was going on or why Tay appeared upset.

"Tay, why don't you start at the beginning?" Ai said gently.

Taysuke frowned. "Why don't you ask them?" He rudely gestured to Dai and Matty.

Sam's eyes narrowed. "Learn some manners, Tay. You play pranks all the time!"

"My pranks are harmless!" Taysuke snapped. "I've never actually played any pranks giving cryptic messages of another world or someone in danger!"

Sam crossed his arms. "My brother would never play that kind of thing on anyone. I know that, for sure."

Dai groaned and pulled Sam back. As much as he appreciated the other defending him, this really wasn't the right time. "Not now, Sam, really; but thanks." He smiled at him a little. Sam looked away, his cheeks flushing pink, before Dai turned back to Taysuke. "I haven't been feeling too well lately, which was why I didn't go pranking with you yesterday. Haven't been getting that much sleep. So I swear it wasn't me."

"It wasn't me either," Matty added. "Mickey wasn't talking much yesterday so I got worried." He glanced at his twin who blushed and averted his gaze, so Matty looked back at Tay and placed a hand on Taysuke's shoulder. "Come on, man, we've been best friends since we were babies! And I'm your cousin, too. Do you really think I'd lie to you?"

"Do you really think _we'd_ lie to you?" Dai said.

Taysuke's eyes seemed to soften and the hurt and anger slowly faded away. Dai held back a sigh of relief. With his father's handy observational skill, he knew that Taysuke was uncomfortable: everything from his tense shoulders to his aggressive defense mechanism. Well, damn, that actually sounded very FBI-ish. Pretty cool.

Dai mentally shook his head. _Focus, Dai,_ he thought. _Focus._

"Then...what about that message?" Taysuke said, staring at a computer.

"Why don't you tell us about the message?" Katsu asked. "That would be a good start."

Matty squeezed Taysuke's shoulder.

 _I wonder if this has anything to do with that place I keep seeing in my dreams. Tay did say the message said something about another world. But that's ridiculous, there's no such thing as another world, is there?_

Dai caught Mickey watching him and blushed but was even more surprised when Sam grabbed his wrist.

"Sam?" he said, staring.

"Don't worry," Sam said quietly. "I know I'm not the best little brother, but"—he shifted—"You can count on me too, big brother, even if you don't need my help."

 _Where did that come from? Does Sam know something?_

Dai snapped his head up to look at Mickey, but he was too busy trying to comfort Nobu. He wasn't sure what to say when Sam hugged him around the waist. A small smile came to his face and Dai wrapped his own arms around the other's body, pulling his brother close.

Warmth filled him inside and for the first time in a few days, he felt safe. He felt grounded by having Sam close. What was this feeling? It was almost as if his little brother was acting as a shield between him and that…whatever that place was.

"Sam?" Dai mumbled, so only the other could hear him.

Sam shifted in the embrace, looking up at Dai. "Yeah?"

"Thank you," Dai said, causing Sam to blink.

"What for?" Sam asked.

Dai gave a small laugh. "You know, for just being here," Dai muttered, flushing slightly.

A small smile lit Sam's face as well. "You don't always have to be the strong one, you know. I'm here for you."

It was almost strange to see this courage in Sam but Dai was glad at the very least; Sam's issues with their parents and himself didn't stop the bond between the two of them. However, in their little moment, they had totally zoned out on what Taysuke had explained and only caught the last lines.

"—and then the really weird message appeared," Taysuke finished, throwing his hands up in the air.

Dai was about to ask when Matty sent him a wink and took over from what Taysuke was saying.

"So basically a weird message came asking for help and saying these DigiDestined were the last hope?" Matty said, basically repeating what had been said.

Taysuke nodded. "'Course, I just said that didn't I?"

Dai gave Matty a grateful smile and Matty just nodded.

"That sounds a bit unbelievable," Sam said, narrowing his eyes. "Dai, Tay's making up stories again."

Dai shifted. Maybe he should, but what would the others think? He glanced at Mickey and the older twin nodded at him. He exhaled a little.

"Actually…I don't think Tay's making up anything," Dai said before Taysuke could respond. "I didn't want to tell you guys because you might think I'm crazy but…I've been having really strange dreams. I know they're just dreams but they don't _feel_ like dreams."

Sam placed a hand on Dai's arm. "What do you mean?"

Dai realized all the others were looking at him now, even Nobu who looked rather frightened. _Great… Out of all days, today had to be the day where Nobu had to be here._

"I don't really know how to explain it," Dai said quietly. "You guys will think I'm crazy."

"Too late for that," Katsu said rather bluntly. "I mean, what you're saying is completely illogical. Both of you. I don't buy it."

"Katsu!" Hana chided, slapping him on the shoulder. "Learn a little tact!"

Dai flinched. He knew Katsu was logical but that didn't mean he could go around calling people liars or crazy. Dai took a step forward with his fists balled by his sides but Sam grabbed his wrist.

"I believe Dai, Katsu," Sam said seriously. "He's never lied to us before so he wouldn't lie now, no matter how strange it sounds. I think we should let him explain before we start doubting him, don't you think?"

Katsu looked down and took interest in his shoes. "Sorry…it's just…"

"Katsu didn't mean to accuse Dai, Sam," Taysuke said. "You know, he just looks at things with facts and all that rather than with his heart."

This time it was Mickey who cut in before another argument could start between Taysuke and Sam.

"Would you all please stop interrupting so Dai can talk?" Mickey said, in almost a scolding manner. Yes, almost because Mickey was too kind to scold anyway so it was more like a gentle chiding than an actual scolding. However, as usual when everyone turned to look at Mickey, the older twin shied away behind Matty, burying his head in the younger twin's shoulder.

Ai giggled and patted her cousin's back. "Mickey's right, let's not interrupt and just hear Dai out, okay?"

Before Dai could really say anything, the computer flashed and static filled the screen.

"Look! Look! There!" Taysuke cried, nearly jumping up and down. Ai and Matty both clamped a hand over his mouth in case anyone really did notice they were in the computer room.

"Easy there, Tay, everyone can see the screen," Dai muttered, feeling an odd feeling of foreboding. He stumbled away from Sam and looked down at his hands. They were wet. What was it? It was that place again, the water and the lack of air. There was a hand. A strong one that was choking him; his vision was beginning to blur, all he could see was the darkness ahead—was he going to be taken away? He couldn't even see the computer room anymore or the others.

 _Sam, Tay, Matty, Mickey…help me. I don't want to go. Please…Papa Davis, Papa Ken, please come…_

" _Dai_!"

Dai felt his back hit the ground and blinked as the water disappeared. Taysuke's arms were wrapped around him tightly and he realized he was back in the computer room or, at least, the floor of the computer room.

"Tay?" Dai mumbled. His head was spinning a little but he tried to look at his best friend.

"Are you alright?" The concern in Tay's voice was unmistakable but Dai wasn't sure what to say. Bile rose in his throat and he had to force himself to keep it down. He could lie and say he was fine but he wasn't.

"No." He almost cringed at how weak his voice was.

Taysuke helped him sit up, keeping a hold of Dai's elbow. "Hey, man, you look pale."

Dai shivered. Why did this place keep reaching out to him?

"Dai," Ai murmured.

"I-It's that place again," Dai finally said. "It keeps calling out to me. I'm tired…at night and the day; it doesn't leave me alone. I don't know how long I can keep resisting."

"I-Is it g-gonna t-take y-you away?" Nobu said, lower lip trembling.

Dai tried not to look at the younger boy but the same thought swirled in his head: he didn't want to be taken away.

"No," Taysuke said firmly, regarding Nobu with a warm look. "I don't care what it is but nothing is going to take Dai away from us. Nothing."

"Taysuke's right," Sam said. "We'll all protect Dai."

"I think the world is coming to an end, Dai," Hana joked. "Tay and Sam actually agreed on something!"

Dai managed a weak smile. "Well, at least, I'm good for one thing."

"They're right, you know," Mickey said quietly, causing Dai to look at him. "We'll never let you get taken away from us." He smiled shyly at him.

Dai's nausea began to fade. Mickey was right, as long as he—No, as long as his friends were there with him, nothing would happen to him. Although that place was scary, he knew his friends would never stop pulling him back. As long as he had someone waiting for him, things would be alright. His parents, his brother, and his friends would never give up on him.

He looked at Taysuke. "Thanks, Tay. I didn't think I was going to be able to come out of it this time."

Taysuke shrugged. "There's no way in heck I'm letting a creepy ocean take you away from us." A flash of concern filled his eyes. "You going to be okay?"

Dai nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine!"

Before Taysuke could ask anymore, another bright white light came out of the computer. Everyone in the room covered their eyes. When the light faded away, a small mouse-like creature with black circles around its eyes stood there. Not the most accurate description, but it was definitely something he hadn't really seen before. From the looks on his friend's faces, he could tell they definitely felt the same way.

* * *

 _Hanako 'Hana' Kido_

If things weren't already bizarre enough, it got stranger when an ugly mouse came out of the computer. The others seemed too shocked to say anything but Hana let out an ear-piercing scream and jumped back, almost colliding into the computer chair before managing to catch herself.

"What the heck are you?" Hana almost shouted.

"Well, that was a rude reaction!" the creature huffed. "It's not nice to not recognise me after so long, Mimi!"

"Eh?" Hana cried. "How do you know my Mom's name?"

"Um, Hana," Ai laid a shaky hand on the girl's shoulder. "I-I know this is all very shocking but..."

 _Shocking? That was the understatement of the year!_

"I think shocking might be too small of a word, little girl," the creature said to Ai who stared at the creature in shock.

"Um, I don't mean to be rude," Sam started.

"What the heck are you, a mouse?" Taysuke said.

"Ew, Tay, mice are creepy!" Hana couldn't help but squeal.

Taysuke rolled his eyes at her.

 _Honestly, boys..._

"It's a talking mouse," Katsu whispered, grabbing hold of Taysuke's arm. He looked ready to faint and Hana couldn't blame him. Everyone seemed to have these types of reactions. Nobu had burst into tears and Mickey was holding him, but his face was white. Matty, on the other hand, was trying to speak but couldn't seem to form any words into a sentence. Ai was rubbing her eyes as if she was expecting to wake up and Sam kept glancing anxiously at the creature and towards the door.

If anything, Dai seemed to have the most normal reaction out of any of them.

"Like Tay asked, what exactly are you?" Dai asked. "I mean, no offence but none of us have ever met a talking mouse before."

 _How can he just take things into stride? I mean, sure Uncle Ken is usually composed but even he would freak seeing something like this!_ Hana thought.

"I'm a digimon, a digital monster," the mouse replied. "My name's Chuumon."

"But digimon aren't real!" Mickey said, putting a hand to his face. "They're just one of Dad's novels!"

"Unless Dad was trying to tell us something through those books," Matty muttered and Hana frowned.

"You're not saying characters from a storybook have come to life, are you?" Hana said, raising an eyebrow. "That's ridiculous. Maybe we're all dreaming or something and we'll wake up any minute."

Katsu pinched Hana's arm, causing the brunette girl to yelp.

"Katsu!" Hana chided. _That hurt, dammit!_

Katsu blinked. "I was making sure we all weren't dreaming. Your suggestions are usually spot on, after all."

Hana glowered at him. "That wasn't the way to find that out, that hurt!"

"If you two are done, could I talk?" Chuumon snapped. "We don't have much time, you know!"

"Time for what? Is some cat after you?" Hana said sarcastically. "'Cause I still don't buy the fact that a few story book characters came to life."

"Hana," Ai said, sending her a look but Hana wasn't deterred. Just because everyone else believed this silly story didn't mean she would and she could tell that Katsu didn't really completely believe it either.

"Um, why don't we at least listen to the digimon thing?" Nobu seemed to stutter. "I mean, Mickey is smart so..."

Mickey flushed while the others seemed to nod in agreement. Even Katsu, who was usually way smarter than that!

Hana sighed. _I'm not going to gain anything out of being stubborn, am I? But still, this is just so weird! I'll just go along with it…for now._

"Fine," Hana said. "Hearing Chuumon out won't hurt."

* * *

 _Ken Motomiya_

He couldn't tell what it was. Maybe it was just a bad feeling. Maybe it was paranoia. It had been twenty-five years of peace, so it might just be nothing at all. He had come home from work early today but something felt wrong. _Maybe I should go join Davis at the restaurant. He won't mind the help._

He joined his husband at the noodle restaurant. Seeing him dealing with a difficult customer made Ken smile. It was amazing how his husband could even deal with the difficult ones so easily. Once the customer took a seat, Ken moved forward.

"Hey."

Davis looked up, blinking. "Ken, is your shift over?"

Ken smiled. "Yeah, it is. Need a hand?"

Davis grinned. "From you? Always!"

Ken rolled his eyes and joined him in the kitchen. Half of him was tempted to tell Davis what he was thinking but the other half didn't want his husband thinking he was paranoid. But, as always, Davis somehow caught on.

"So what's up?" Davis asked as he poured a batch of noodles in a medium-sized bowl.

Ken shifted. "I don't really know. I just have a bad feeling."

Davis frowned. "What kind of bad feeling?" He placed the bowls on a tray and passed them to one of the workers.

"About Dai and Sam," Ken admitted. "Like something's about to happen to them." He knew he tended to worry too much about his children, but to him, they were the biggest blessings he could ever receive, along with Davis's love.

Before Ken could say anything else, Davis pulled him into a hug.

"Dai and Sam aren't going to become Digimon Emperors, Ken," Davis said in a low voice. "If we ever see Veemon and the Digital World again, Dai and Sam have a lot of good things holding them back. They have parents, they have friends, and most of all, they have an amazing support network that will never let them go."

Ken buried his head in Davis's shoulder. Like always, Davis's voice sounded so certain that it made him believe every word. They were just within their own little cocoon of their own little world.

"I hope you're right," Ken mumbled, quickly pulling away when he saw one of the workers sending them disgusted looks.

"Oi," Davis said, glowering at the worker. "Focus on your job! You don't get paid for gawking at me and my amazing husband, do you?"

The worker flushed and hurried out.

Ken turned pink. "Davis..."

Davis huffed. "Don't lecture me, he was asking for it."

Ken rolled his eyes. "You never listen to my lectures anyway." He was about to go back home for the day but Davis grasped his hand.

"I'm not letting the darkness touch you or either of our children," Davis said, his eyes locking with Ken. "I promise."

A small smile graced Ken's lip but he said nothing. He just squeezed Davis's hand back.


	5. Ep 4: Into the Digital World

_Thank you everyone for all the support you've given me in this fic, it means a lot. I'm glad no one was annoyed by Hana's brattiness, sheesh being the child of Joe and Mimi has turned her into a scary combination. Miss Anonymous hp, thank you for the criticism, but one thing to bear in mind is these are the first few episodes. Tai and the others weren't exactly developed from Episode 1 onwards either. In fact, Matt's main development started in the second last arc of the series. Thanks to_ **Angel's Sins** _for betareading this chapter!_

* * *

 **4\. Into the Digital World**

 _Hanako 'Hana' Kido_

"So? We're waiting." Hana had her hands on her hips as she looked down at the small pink mouse that called himself Chuumon.

"Hana!" Ai groaned, and Hana huffed at her friend. Honestly, they might be kids but they weren't that naïve. Well, maybe except for Nobu who was only eight but that was beside the point.

Before Chuumon could really explain, the computer behind Taysuke, the one where Chuumon popped out of, actually flashed a bright blue colour and the light separated into eight separate beams of light.

Hana yelped when a small pink digital watch appeared around her wrist and she gaped at it. Okay, what was that? How did a watch come out of the computer? She looked up to ask Katsu but he was staring at his own apple green watch. Although like a normal digital watch—it had the time—it had three grey broken lines above the flashing numbers. Clearly miffed that everyone seemed to be absorbed in looking at their watches, she turned to Chuumon.

"What is this?" Hana raised an eyebrow. "Is this some sort of prank?"

"The D-Toners…" Chuumon was staring, tiny eyes wide. "The legend is coming true."

Taysuke was the first to speak. "Okay, little mouse guy, now you really need to explain. What legend? What are these D-Toners?"

"And people say I ask too many questions," Katsu said, lips quirking.

Taysuke rolled his eyes at him. "It's not like everyone else wasn't thinking the same."

Nobu grabbed Mickey's sleeve. "What are they?"

Mickey shook his head but still offered Nobu a small smile. "I'm not sure, but I'm sure we'll find out." He frowned. "Sam, are you alright?"

Hana followed Mickey's gaze and she noticed that Sam didn't have one of the D-Toner' things. He appeared rather puzzled by this himself and frowned.

"Why don't I have one?"

Hana had to admit that she wondered the same thing. She twirled a lock of her brown hair and had to refrain from chewing the end. Really, what was she supposed to say? Should she even say anything at all? Personally, she thought it was a relief Sam didn't get one of these odd-looking D-Toner things, but her dad always said people viewed things differently so maybe Sam wanted to have one.

"I'm not sure," Chuumon admitted. "The legend speaks of nine DigiDestined so there should be nine D-Toners."

"Then why don't I have one?"

Hana winced. He looked almost panicked as if this _wasn't_ supposed to be the case. What was the big deal anyway? She glanced at Mickey, their eyes met, and he nodded

before placing a hand on Sam's arm.

"Calm down, Sam, we'll figure it out," Mickey said firmly. "Don't worry. This doesn't change anything between us."

Matty smiled. "Yeah! Besides, maybe your D-Toner thing is just slower to come through or something!"

Taysuke waved his hands impatiently. "Okay, okay! Now tell us more about this legend thing and what it has to do with us and what these thingies are."

Hana couldn't help but roll her eyes. People said she was self-centered but she had nothing on Tay. At least she was concerned with Sam's feelings even if she thought it was odd to feel that way. If anything, he should be feeling relieved to be out of this freaky situation, whatever it was.

Chuumon gave one anxious glance towards Sam before looking at the others. "There is a parallel world to the human world, the digital world, my world. It's in a lot of danger right now though. Humans once before saved our world and the human world from danger and brought peace to both worlds."

"Right, nice story, we've never heard of this digital world?" Hana huffed. "What is that, a world inside a computer?"

"Hana!" Ai and Mickey exclaimed.

Hana scowled. What? It was clear she was the only one willing to speak her mind here, even if she was being rude. Well, sometimes you had to be rude to get your point across.

"I take that back, you're worse than Mimi," Chuumon said irritated. "Mimi was blunt but she wasn't this rude."

"How do you know my Mom anyway?" Hana retorted to Chuumon. "You never answered it."

"I can't answer that," Chuumon said flatly. "Gennai's orders."

"Whose Gennai?" Katsu piped up.

"You guys ask too many questions!" Chuumon snapped. "I'm the one telling the story remember?"

"Alright, alright geez," Matty grumbled. "Go on."

"But once peace was brought to the two worlds, digimon and humans lived in harmony for a short period of time," Chuumon said. "That was when the digimon partners of the humans were sent back to the Digital World and the gates closed. Those humans have not had contact with the Digital World since then and things have fallen into chaos. New enemies have come and there's no safe place in the digital world. There was a prophecy that when things became too out of hand, new children would come into the digital world with devices called D-Toners and drive away the darkness that has spread. Gennai sent me here to try and find them and send a message."

"So you're the one who sent that message!" Taysuke said, clamping a hand to his forehead. "And I thought it was one of Dai and Matty's pranks!"

"We told you it wasn't," Dai said quietly.

Taysuke was the only one taking all this in stride. Hana didn't believe a single word of any of this and the others were all quiet. Katsu glanced suspiciously at the computer, which was a relief.

 _He's not gone completely mental like everyone else in this room has at least!_ Hana thought.

"And you automatically assume these humans are us?" Katsu said skeptically. "I mean, I understand we've received these devices, but Sam didn't receive one at all so isn't it possible it could be some sort of mistake?"

Chuumon pondered it for a moment before saying, "The D-Toners wouldn't have come to you if you weren't the new DigiDestined. Don't you want to help us?"

"We'll help you," Matty spoke up.

Hana frowned at him and Katsu made to protest but both of them fell silent when they realized that Matty wasn't looking at them. In fact, Mickey and Matty were both looking at one another.

"Mickey," Ai murmured weakly. The girl's face was pale and her eyes were wide. Hana was worried that she might collapse from the way she looked right now. "This…" She just hoped the other could hold it together because as much as Hana wanted to protest right now, something about the way the twins were looking right now made her hesitate.

* * *

 _Aiko 'Ai' Ishida_

Ai felt faint at all the information being thrown at her. Had she fallen unconscious or hit her head somewhere? This was strange and what was worse was this whole digital world thing made her feel as if she had heard the term somewhere and that made this all even more confusing. Why were Mickey and Matty going along with this? Didn't they think this was all strange and hard to believe?

"Ai," Taysuke's voice was surprisingly soft and calm, breaking her out of her shocked reverie.

Ai blinked at Taysuke. "Tay, this is all…"

Taysuke placed his hands on her shoulders and leaned closer. Ai felt her cheeks turn pink at how close the two of them were right now.

"Ai, I know this is all hard to believe," Taysuke said softly. "I know it's weird and really unbelievable but we're in this together, you know. We all got these D-Toner things so don't be scared, okay? No matter what happens, I'll always look out for you."

Ai stared into Taysuke's eyes, seeing the fire shining in them. Seeing that firm look in his eyes and his gentle smile made her calm down a little; it was like a small light bubbled inside of her and her racing heartbeat seemed to slow down. Maybe she was panicking and worrying for no reason. Everything would be alright and Mickey must have a reason for what he was thinking…right?

"But Mickey…" Ai murmured. She needed to say it; she trusted her cousin, she really did, but right now this was all too confusing.

"Mickey would never do something if he didn't have a reason for it, you know that," Taysuke said. "I'm sure you remember him bringing home the injured rabbit just because it had a small scratch on its foot."

Ai smiled at the memory. That was true and Taysuke seemed confident that Mickey had something in mind, so she'd just believe in the other too.

 _I can't afford to be selfish, not when Nobu is trying so hard not to cry and look brave,_ she thought.

The redhead tilted her gaze to look at the younger boy, seeing he was no longer crying. Granted he still looked scared but was trying to keep a brave face and that made Ai smile a little. _If the little kid can be brave about this, I can too. I have to, for all of them._

"Right," Ai said, managing to steady her voice. She looked at Mickey and he smiled at her. Tay was right, after all. Mickey must have a reason. "Okay then. I'm ready to help."

Nobu just silently took Mickey's hand in his own, staring down at his own D-Toner. Mickey squeezed the younger boy's hand before looking at the others.

"I know what I'm going to say is probably not going to make much sense," Mickey said. "But I'm probably one of the few people here who've read Dad's books in detail. Sam, Matty, and Katsu have probably read a page or two from them and well…a lot of Chuumon is telling us is written in those books."

Ai stared at Mickey, her eyes widening at his words. She had never read her uncle's books all that much, mainly because the ideas that Mickey talked about in them seemed rather surreal. But now that she recalled, she had skimmed through them once but could not remember the word _digital monster_ popping out at her at all. It seemed the others recognized the word.

"So are you saying it wasn't just a story?" Katsu said, eyes wide. "That's just not possible, is it?"

"Story book characters do not suddenly become real," Hana pointed out, raising an eyebrow at Katsu.

"But that's the thing, Hana," Matty said impatiently. "They weren't characters to begin with. Dad was trying to tell us, warn us through those books somehow about these Digimon creatures. Humans have saved the digital world before from evil. Maybe our parents knew those people who saved the digital world and that's why they wrote about them…and now it's our turn!"

Hana opened and closed her mouth, then huffed.

"So are you all willing to help?" Chuumon asked, looking pleased.

"Of course!" Taysuke said enthusiastically. "Mickey and Matty have awesome points after all and this sounds really cool!"

Ai rolled her eyes as her heart began beating fast again. "I'm ready, but Nobu's so young. Should he really be a part of this? I'm not worried about myself but I am worried about him."

Mickey seemed torn. "I don't want him involved either but—"

"There's no choice," Chuumon said. "The Digital World has chosen him to save it, it's his destiny. If you're all ready, then hold out your D-Toners. Sam, stay close with your brother or someone who has a D-Toner. Maybe your D-Toner will be found in the Digital World."

* * *

 _Noburu 'Nobu' Hida_

Nobu…really didn't understand why he was chosen. He wasn't kind like Mickey or brave like Taysuke; why had this place chosen him? He couldn't even stand up for himself against the bullies. Hika had to do it for him. Then why him?

However, as Chuumon instructed them, he didn't want to be the odd one out, so he held out his D-Toner, along with the others. He didn't understand what was happening though as a bright light flashed across the computer room. His eyes widened. Everything was disappearing! Nobu felt his lip quiver and tried to desperately to keep a hold of Mickey's hand but felt it slipping from his as he met the ground. Hard. He covered his face as best as he could with his small hands when debris nicked his skin. He coughed after he landed, looking around.

"Ow!" He heard Hana complain from besides him. "I think I broke a nail. Did we just get sucked into a giant computer or something?"

Nobu looked around him and noticed they weren't in Mickey's school computer room anymore but in a forest, which seemed really weird. This didn't seem digital at all. He had thought digital was like the stuff on Mom's phone but all this looked real.

"No," Taysuke breathed. "I think…we're in the Digital World."


End file.
